EastEnders icon looks unrecognisable as she lands huge role in mega Netflix hit

EASTENDERS icon Lucy Speed is worlds away from Walford in her new role in Netflix mega hit Heartstopper. 

Lucy, who is better known as Natalie Evans to BBC soap fans, looks unrecognisable as healthcare worker Susan in series 3 of the Netflix drama.

She has joined the cast of the hit series, which chronicles the relationship between Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), as well as the lives and relationships of their friends. 

She plays a mental health and eating disorder support worker who appears in episode four.

Ahead of the release of series 3, Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman teased: “Season 2 ended with Nick beginning to understand the extent of Charlie’s mental health issues, and it’s this that will drive the story through Season 3.”

Lucy’s character Susan plays a part in this storyline as she can be seen interacting with Charlie who, as Netflix fans will know, is suffering from an eating disorder.

In a sweet social media post, Lucy shared a series of behind-the-scenes cast snaps and said that she was thrilled to be a part of the series.

“The entire Heartstopper cast are the most divine bunch of humans,” Lucy wrote. 

“My tiny involvement in this beautiful fairy tale was a privilege and their treatment of my own beautiful young’un was gracious and inclusive. So very on brand,” she added.

Lucy, now a mum of two, was just 18 years old when she joined EastEnders back in January 1994, stepping onto Albert Square as Natalie Evans, the best friend to local loud-mouth Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer).

But Natalie’s time on the square wasn’t without its drama. Not only did she have an affair with Bianca’s boyfriend -turned-husband Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) – not once but twice – but she was also embroiled in a feud with his sister Janine (Charlie Brooks).

But long-time soap fans will be thrilled to know that their rivalry doesn’t extend off the screen. In fact, Lucy previously revealed that she and her TV nemesis are actually good friends and catch up regularly. 

Lucy waved goodbye to Walford in 2004 in search of other opportunities. 

But it seems she’ll always be connected to the soap somehow, and in this case it’s through another former EastEnders star who joined her on the set of the latest series of Heartstopper. 

Annette Badland, who is best known as Aunt Babe in soapland, has joined the series as Ivy Olsson, Darcy’s (Kizzy Edgell) grandmother. 

Other new faces also joining Joe and Kit this season include Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey and Mission Impossible star Hayley Atwell. 

But these exciting cast additions aren’t the only changes being made to series 3 of Heartstopper. 

Alice explained that the show leans into darker at more mature themes this season. 

“While Heartstopper will always celebrate the joyful and point towards hope, I’m really excited that we are allowing the tone of the show to mature alongside our beloved characters growing up,” she said. 

“Mental health, sex, university ambitions, and more: Nick, Charlie, and the Heartstopper teens are getting older, learning more about themselves and each other, and experiencing new desires, new fears, and new joys as they approach adulthood.”

Series 1 to 3 of Heartstopper are available to stream on Netflix now.